Amy Allison has returned to NY then with thirteen songs that will make up her forthcoming album probably to be entitled "EVERYTHING AND NOTHING TOO". I think we'll be looking at an early 2005 release for this puppy...

Check out the PERFECT SOUND FOREVER piece...

The Nitwitz' Tony Slug will be guest on VPRO radio this Tuesday between 1 and 2 pm, playing some of his favorite songs and offering his unpopular, but laudable opinions. Tune in, turn on and don't drop out...

The Cramps - How To Make A Monster (Vengeance 2CD).
There's really no need to explain the beauty of the Cramps' early work here, I figure alla you NBT readers consider it fact and/or truth rather than something that needs to be explained over and over again, and anybody without the band's first two albums in close range of their hi-fi really has no place being here anyways...
That out of the way, let's all rejoice in the arrival of what will hopefully be the first part of a trip thru' the band's private vaults, 'cause HTMAM really only scratches the surface of what must be locked in there.
Being the first trawl, this set is both enlightening and frustrating at both what is and isn't here. I mean, it's great to finally hear the '82 Terry Graham demos in decent fidelity, but why not include the entire session?. On the other hand there's completely new to me 1976 rehearsals that not only let us hear wonderfully primitive versions of long-time favorite songs, but they also prove that the band had their basic gameplan set from the git-go. Later rehearsals offer similar delights; from '82 there's four attempts at something called Rumble Blues and a apocalyptic Lonesome Town, while material from the Stay Sick era has aged much better than the released versions 'cause they lack the dated production.
The second disc offers two live sets of which the '77 Max's show is probably only of "historical interest", but the CBGBs set from a year later offers the band in full flight delivering deadly versions of Human Fly, Teenage Werewolf and Sunglasses After Dark. So yeah, by all means dig into this (heck, even with 45 tracks in 143 minutes there's some cool hidden extras as well...), and let's us pray for future volumes containing the Ohio demos, the Richard Robinson and Chris Spedding demos, the 1980 Utrecht show, the, well, you get the picture...

It's the perceived popularity of this stuff that gets me (See J's post just before this incase you wonder...). It may sell for a short space of time and the all-encompassing media that goes with it makes it seem more palatable than it actually is. The Libertines single is like a Cure b-side. Vis-a-vis that familiarity warms the cockles of Robert Smith's crew and you've got an instant nostalgia buzz. What about The Killers, how goddamn below par are they? The "post-punk" Strokes anyone?? And, now there's a kinda "boy-band" 70's rock thing comin' atcha called ROOSTER. They were on Top of the Pops last week and reminded me of the horror of REEF. The lifestyle choice of not caring about what people put in their ears anymore is damaging our collective musical health. Sonically super-sized.

Can somebody please explain to me the delights of this postpunk revival crap-ola?. I know this shit has been going on for a while, but in a week that saw new releases by the Libertines, Radio 4 and Interpol I've entered a deep, deep depression on this return of everything that was so hideously nauseous about the early 80s. If at the time people would have told me that 20 years down the line a comeback of the sounds from Shriekback, Echo & the Bunnyman, the Associates and their ilk would be applauded and taken seriously instead of laughed at and lined up for quick elimination, I might have jumped off the bridge right there and then. Thank God I've aged somewhat and learned that this rubbish will disappear just like every other shortlived fad (nu-metal or emo anyone?). But as always it is the injustice to the stuff with a longer lasting flavor that is so offensive. You name your favorites, and watch them struggle to make a living while these dorks rake in the moolah.

This month's releases from Ace Records.

Carl Wayne. RIP.

From The Dictators website: "Handsome Dick Manitoba will be a featured DJ (along with Kim Fowley, Andrew Loog Oldham, Kid Leo and more) on Sirius Satellite Radio's Underground Garage Festival Replay Weekend on Sept. 5. The festival itself will be rebroadcast twice, Saturday and Monday. More info here".

More info on THE CRAMPS "HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER" at Mike McEchron's site, info courtesy of Andrew Lahman...

Cool (unofficial) WEBSITE complete with US tour dates, etc.

Couple of things you might like to check out... the brand new REZILLOS newsletter is out and feature info on the upcoming BBC session release on Damaged Goods amongst a bunch else. Click and sign up to get your inbox duly zillo'd.

My good friend Duane in Brooklyn, NY has seen fit to upload some of his photo action on this cyberlarky and you can grab some of this culture by clicking here.

I guess this William Shatner/Joe Jackson "Common People" thing has been doing the rounds but it's bloody good so maybe you didn't know about it either.
And Ben Folds produced too... who'da thunk it possible?

For weeks and months we've been building up the DKT/MC5 thing and the bus rolled into Glasgow. Obviously being in THE GARAGE, this gave cause for concern from the git-go but the doors opened at 6.30pm and there were 3 supports. No idea what the first one was. Second was WE DO BAD MUSIC or something. Third was The Icarus Line and they should all be lined up against that very thing (whatever it is) and shot. All of which meant that the curfew, after which the place turns into a karaoke bar or whatever, was looming fast. The DKT/MC5 came on at 9.05 - 9.10 and might have just nudged an hour in total and they completely shredded. Highlights were "The Human Being Lawnmower" and "Sister Anne". The latter featuring the greatest faux brass band close ever witnessed. But there was no time for "Starship", or "Looking At You", or "The American Ruse" so I'm feeling a tad shortchanged here. Not by the band but by the organisation that runs this fucking venue. I would strongly advise anybody against ever attending a show there. It's a disco that fleeces the rock punters with overpriced drinks and dumbass security. It's a jobsworth's paradise alright and I'll not be dawning it's door again no matter who plays there. The band were burning so goddamn bright and then it was all over. With a sizeable bang rather than a whimper but imagine the glow from the radiation that a whole show would have mustered. Our London cousins certainly got the jump on us this time and that ol' chestnut of "ever get the feeling you've been cheated" is ringing in my ears. I hope Nottingham fares better tonight. Wodjagonnado... indeed...

Read Brother Joss's report on the London show HERE!

The Forty Fives @ The Borderline, London on 30th August

Playing frantic RnB with a nod to UK influences - the set included covers of "Midnight to Six", "Daddy Rolling Stone" and "Shake" via the Pretty Things, Who and Small Faces - the Forty-Fives had a modest crowd jumping at the Borderline on Monday night. It's always a good sign when members of a band give so much that fifteen minutes into a set their shirts are drenched in sweat and which made this show yet another example of why Americans make so many UK bands seem so lifeless. Warning: These guys play loud and fast, obviously enjoy what they are doing, and are not afraid to give any girls in the audience the come-on. Which all sounds like a healthy way of approaching RnR to me and one that harks back to the original template as developed by Elvis, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis et al. Playing a selection of tunes from their three discs, other characteristics of the Forty-Fives approach included Keith Moon / Kenny Jones style drumming, a Rickenbacker guitar played like an electric guitar and not a "Mod banjo", and keyboards that went from Remains-like electric piano tinkling to cheesy Farfisa. Together with killer hooks and a positive attitude to getting up on a stage it all added up to one hell of an evening. The Borderline appears to be booking Yep Roc acts of late, SCOTS played last month, with said acts making shorting tours of the UK and Holland. Far be it for me to suggest that this arrangement might be of interest to the Fleshtones should they wish to stop moaning that everyone still hates them in England.

I can upload from here but not from home... bloody typical...

It was "old home week" yesterday as END OF THE CENTURY hit the Edinburgh Film Festival for the second screening in two days. The first was at the UGC Megaplex on Friday night but this one was at The Cameo, a much more suitable venue by far. It was good to see so many familiar faces there and it'd have been even better if they'd sprung to bring the guys that made the film but that's another can of worms entirely.

Both screenings were sold out and the reaction to the digi-beta version of the doc was very favourable. The sound was a little gubbed in places and some of the images were a tad pixelated but those things didn't detract from the overall experience. Overhauled to include more Joe, I think that they could add at least another hour. The early stuff is exhaustive but the later years are covered in less detail. There are some people who I'd have liked to have seen in the film - Andy Shernoff, Handsome Dick, Kevin Patrick, Sam Elwitt etc. that didn't seem to be involved at all but Monte Melnick is on hand as is Arturo Vega and the absolute best bit for me is when an old neighbourhood friend of Joe's, Mark Rafin (Ralin?) does an impromptu impersonation of our departed friend. Utter magic.

All of the stuff that's being made about John looking like a real bastard is somewhat overblown. In contrast, I think he's being very candid and real, just being himself. I don't think anybody can prosecute him for that. The conflict between he and Joey made the band dynamic. Add Dee Dee to that stew and who was pounding the tubs becomes totally irrelevant. Tommy's contribution illustrates that he has and had a lot of sense, he didn't get caught up in the maelstrom. Not really. This and RAMONES RAW should provide enough for anybody who went nuts over the brudders and then some. There can never be their like again and maybe that's not an altogether bad thing.

EOTC is mandatory viewing then, Mike Gramaglia and Jim Fields did a great job in the face of untold adversity. They've made a heckuva deposit in the karma bank and if they gave out medals for service in the punk rock wars then these guys would be in the running for more than 3 purple hearts.

News just in from Cap'n Eugene himsel' - REZILLOS playing at London Astoria, December 4th.

In a Lindsay-like turn of events I lost all mail send to me on Friday 27th. Whatever you said, say it again...